U.S. patent number 7,021,517 [Application Number 10/398,787] was granted by the patent office on 2006-04-04 for method and device for applying pieces of material to a workpiece.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pac Tec - Packaging Technologies GmbH. Invention is credited to Paul Kasulke, Lars Titerle, Oliver Uebel, Elke Zakel.
United States Patent |
7,021,517 |
Zakel , et al. |
April 4, 2006 |
Method and device for applying pieces of material to a
workpiece
Abstract
The invention relates to a device for applying pieces of
material to a workpiece. Said device comprises a plurality of
capillaries which respectively bring a piece of material (6) to a
work station (3) in one working cycle. The piece of material is
placed on the work station. A filling station fills a circular
conveyer with a number of pieces of material (6) corresponding to
the number of capillaries (4). An extracting station (19) is
arranged in the transport path from the filling station (18) to the
machining station (4'), said extracting station (19) extracting
individual fragments of material (6) in a selective manner.
Inventors: |
Zakel; Elke (Falkensee,
DE), Kasulke; Paul (Berlin, DE), Uebel;
Oliver (Berlin, DE), Titerle; Lars (Berlin,
DE) |
Assignee: |
Pac Tec - Packaging Technologies
GmbH (Nauen, DE)
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Family
ID: |
7658917 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/398,787 |
Filed: |
October 2, 2001 |
PCT
Filed: |
October 02, 2001 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/EP01/11421 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
June 19, 2003 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO02/28589 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
April 11, 2002 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20040011852 A1 |
Jan 22, 2004 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Oct 6, 2000 [DE] |
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100 49 583 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
228/41; 221/263;
228/43 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23K
3/0607 (20130101); B23K 3/0623 (20130101); H01L
21/4853 (20130101); H01L 21/67144 (20130101); H05K
3/3478 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B23K
3/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;228/245,246,41,43,33,51,52,4.5,180.5
;221/263-265,278,236,158,159 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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195 41 996 |
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May 1997 |
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DE |
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59064162 |
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Dec 1984 |
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JP |
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Other References
Patent Abstracts of Japan, No. JP 59064162, Published Apr. 12,
1984, N. Yoshihro. cited by other .
Patent Abstracts of Japan, No. JP 2000294681, Published Oct. 20,
2000, H. Keiichi. cited by other .
Patent Abstracts of Japan, No. JP 08070174, Published Mar. 12,
1996, S. Seiji. cited by other .
Patent Abstracts of Japan, No. JP 07202400, Published Aug. 04,
1995, K. Tomoya. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Johnson; Jonathan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dougherty Clements
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Device for applying pieces of material to a workpiece with a
conveyor which conveys the pieces of material individually from a
filling station to a processing station (4') which has a number of
capillaries (4) arranged with respect to each other in a preset
pattern in that the conveyor (10) at the filling station (18)
conveys pieces of material (6) to the capillaries (4) and in that
an extraction station (19) is arranged in the conveyance path from
the filling station (18) to the processing station (4') and
selectively extracts individual pieces of material from the
conveyor, characterized in that the extraction station has a
suction station.
2. Device for applying pieces of material to a workpiece with a
conveyor which conveys the pieces of material individually from a
filling station to a processing station (4') which has a number of
capillaries (4) arranged with respect to each other in a preset
pattern, in that the conveyor (10) at the filling station (18)
conveys pieces of material (6) to the capillaries (4) and in that
an extraction station (19) is arranged in the conveyance path from
the filling station (18) to the processing station (4') and
selectively extracts individual pieces of material from the
conveyor, characterized in that solder pellets (6) taken at the
extraction station are returned to the filling station through a
return unit (23).
3. Device for applying pieces of material to a workpiece with a
conveyor which conveys the pieces of material individually from a
filling station to a processing station (4') which has a number of
capillaries (4) arranged with respect to each other in a preset
pattern, in that the conveyor (10) at the filling station (18)
conveys pieces of material (6) to the capillaries (4) and in that
an extraction station (19) is arranged in the conveyance path from
the filling station (18) to the processing station (4') and
selectively extracts individual pieces of material from the
conveyor, characterized in that the capillaries (4) are arranged
along a straight line.
4. Device for applying pieces of material to a workpiece with a
conveyor which conveys the pieces of material individually from a
filling station to a processing station (4') which has a number of
capillaries (4) arranged with respect to each other in a preset
pattern, in that the conveyor (10) at the filling station (18)
conveys pieces of material (6) to the capillaries (4) and in that
an extraction station (19) is arranged in the conveyance path from
the filling station (18) to the processing station (4') and
selectively extracts individual pieces of material from the
conveyor, characterized in that the capillaries (4) are arranged in
a pattern corresponding to a two-dimensional grid.
5. Device for applying pieces of material to a workpiece with a
conveyor which conveys the pieces of material individually from a
filling station to a processing station (4') which has a number of
capillaries (4) arranged with respect to each other in a preset
pattern, in that the conveyor (10) at the filling station (18)
conveys pieces of material (6) to the capillaries (4) and in that
an extraction station (19) is arranged in the conveyance path from
the filling station (18) to the processing station (4') and
selectively extracts individual pieces of material from the
conveyor, characterized in that the capillaries (4) are arranged in
a three-dimensional grid which is achieved by different lengths of
the capillaries.
6. Device as described in claim 4, characterized in that the
capillaries (4) are arranged at a constant interval away from each
other, this interval corresponding to a grid of soldering points
(3) on a workpiece (1).
7. Device as described in claim 1, characterized by an associated
optical or pneumatic detector device (9) which detects the
absence/presence of pieces of material in the capillary (4).
8. Device as described in claim 1, characterized in that each
capillary (4) has an associated laser (9) or an optical system (8)
coupled with a laser.
9. Device as described in claim 1, characterized by a compressed
gas source (21) and a pipeline (22) which feeds inert gas to the
capillaries (4).
10. Device as described in claim 1, characterized by a compressed
gas source (33) which feeds inert gas to the processing station
(4') through a nozzle (34) which is independent of the
capillary.
11. Device as described in claim 5, characterized in that the
capillaries (4) are arranged at a constant interval away from each
other, this interval corresponding to a grid of soldering points
(3) on a workpiece (1).
12. Device as described in claim 2, characterized by an associated
optical or pneumatic detector device (9) which detects the
absence/presence of pieces of material in the capillary (4).
13. Device as described in claim 2, characterized in that each
capillary (4) has an associated laser (9) or an optical system (8)
coupled with a laser.
14. Device as described in claim 2, characterized by a compressed
gas source (21) and a pipeline (22) which feeds inert gas to the
capillaries (4).
15. Device as described in claim 2, characterized by a compressed
gas source (33) which feeds inert gas to the processing station
(4') through a nozzle (34) which is independent of the
capillary.
16. Device as described in claim 4, characterized by an associated
optical or pneumatic detector device (9) which detects the
absence/presence of pieces of material in the capillary (4).
17. Device as described in claim 4, characterized in that each
capillary (4) has an associated laser (9) or an optical system (8)
coupled with a laser.
18. Device as described in claim 4, characterized by a compressed
gas source (21) and a pipeline (22) which feeds inert gas to the
capillaries (4).
19. Device as described in claim 4, characterized by a compressed
gas source (33) which feeds inert gas to the processing station
(4') through a nozzle (34) which is independent of the capillary.
Description
The invention relates to a method and a device for applying pieces
of material to a workpiece.
For the purposes of the invention, pieces of material can be pieces
of any material in solid or liquid form. It can be a solderable
material such as gold, copper, tin, glass or a plastic which are,
in particular, micro-size pieces of material in the form of solder
pellets, glass globules or plastic globules. It can also be pieces
of ceramic or components such as miniature circuits, surface
mounted devices or the like. Generally speaking, any material can
be applied with the invention.
DE 195 41 996 describes a device for single feed application of
solder pellets from a solder pellet reservoir with an applicator
and a separate feeder, the separate feeder being designed as a
circular conveyor. Through timed motion of the circular conveyor,
solder pellets are conveyed from the reservoir to a capillary and
by means of compressed air to the end of the capillary which at
this point in time is close to a soldering point on the workpiece.
The solder pellet is melted by laser energy and flows onto the
soldering point.
The rapid and precise positioning of the capillary and the rapid
precisely timed feed of solder pellets to the end of the capillary
are essential prerequisites for an effective and rapid operation of
the device. With the known device, the points where the solder
pellets are to be places are approached individually in sequence.
This is naturally time-consuming and thus not suitable for series
production.
The object of the invention is to improve the known device so that
it operates faster and is thus also suitable for series
production.
The object is achieved by a device for applying pieces of material
to a workpiece with a conveyor which conveys the pieces of material
individually from a filling station to a processing station, which
has a number of capillaries arranged with respect to each other in
a preset pattern, in that the conveyor at the filling station
conveys an equal number of pieces of material individually and to
the capillaries, and in that an extraction station is arranged in
the conveyance path from the filling station to the processing
station and selectively extracts individual pieces of material from
the conveyor. The extraction station has a suction station. Solder
pellets taken at the extraction station are returned to the filling
station through a return unit. The capillaries may be arranged
along a straight line, in a pattern corresponding to a
two-dimensional grid, or in a three-dimensional grid which is
achieved by different lengths of the capillaries. The pieces of
material are meltable or solderable material selected from the
group consisting of gold, copper, tin, glass or plastic which are
in solid or liquid form, or pieces of ceramic.
The basic principle of the invention consists in arranging a number
of capillaries on a single circular conveyor. For mass production
purposes, the capillaries are preferably arranged in the pattern of
the soldering points. A plurality of soldering points can then be
set in a single cycle. A more universally applicable device will be
obtained by orienting the capillaries along a line and providing
means that will ensure that only selected capillaries will receive
solder pellets. Each capillary can be individually controlled with
respect to the soldering process which is effected either in that
each capillary is assigned its own laser or in that a laser is
directed by a beam guide sequentially to the selected
capillaries.
The individual capillaries are arranged in a grid which is commonly
used in series production so that an entire line of soldering point
can be set with one cycle.
The invention is explained in more detail with an example
embodiment and referring to the drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-section of the invented device and
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the invented device.
Seen in FIG. 1 is a workpiece 1 clamped to a machine table 2. A
plurality of soldering points 3 are on the workpiece 1. It is
assumed here that all soldering points 3 lie in a constant grid
along a line. The device has a plurality of capillaries 4 having a
bore hole 5 through which one each solder pellet is conveyed to an
assigned soldering point 3 and melted there by a laser beam. The
laser beam is supplied here through a fiber optical wave guide 8
and an optical device 7 of a laser device 9. Each capillary can
have its own assigned laser 9. It is also possible, however, to
provide a single laser source and then to conduct the beams to the
individual capillaries through a beam guide such as a "beam
splitter".
The feed of solder pellets 6 to the individual capillaries 4 takes
place in cycles through a circular conveyor 10 which has a circular
disc 11 with a plurality of holes 12 arranged in concentric circles
on a center beam, the interval of the concentric circles 24 to 28
in FIG. 2 corresponding to the grid, that is, the interval between
each of the individual capillaries.
The circular disc 11 pivots between two discs 13 and 15 and can be
rotated through a shaft 16 and a motor 17. In the area of a filling
station, the upper disc 13 also has a plurality of holes 14 which
are oriented with the holes 12 so that precisely one solder pellet
6 falls out of the filling station 18 through the holes 14 and into
the holes 12 of the rotating circular disc 12 and can be
transported away from there in the direction of rotation. The
circular disc 11 is rotated over a preset angular distance per
working cycle. This causes the solder pellets 6 stored
intermediately in the rotating circular disc 11 to be conveyed then
to the capillaries 4 where they fall through holes in the lower
disc 15 and through the bore hole 5 to the tip of the capillary and
there onto the corresponding soldering point 3. The latter motion
can be supported by compressed air conducted by a compressed air
generator 21 through a pipeline in a section above the top circular
disc 13. Naturally, a protective gas can also be used instead of
compressed air. For the sake of clarity, only a compressed air
generator 21 is shown in FIG. 1. Of course, each capillary has a
connection 22 to the compressed air generator.
A protective gas may be delivered by a compressed gas source (33)
which feeds inert gas to the processing station (4') through a
nozzle (34) which is independent of the capillary.
It can be seen from what is described thus far that the device can
convey any plurality of solder pellets per working cycle to a
corresponding number of soldering points.
For an individual application in industrial scale manufacture, it
will be suitable to orient the capillaries from the outset as the
individual soldering points are arranged on the workpiece. However,
the device will have more universal application if the capillaries
are arranged in the grid and can be supplied individually with
solder pellets and individually controlled. According to the
invention, this is effected by an extraction station 19 arranged in
the transport path between the filling station 18 and the soldering
station 4'. The solder pellet 6 in the given opening 12 can be
extracted and conveyed as necessary back into the filling station
as indicated by the pipe 23 selectively through individual tracks
or circuits 24, 25, 26, 27 or 28. Thus, individual capillaries can
be selectively supplied with no solder pellet and the capillary is
rendered ineffective for a soldering operation in which the other
capillaries are active.
All operations are controlled by a central control unit, i.e., the
rotation in a cycle of the circular conveyor 10, the selective
extraction of individual solder pellets at the extraction station
19, the activation of the compressed air generator 21 and the
activation of the laser.
In the example embodiment of FIG. 2, a large number of holes 12 and
14 are provided in the discs 11 and 13. The circular disc 11 is
then rotated only over the angle alpha per working cycle. Of
course, the condition for this is that the corresponding solder
pellet is extracted over a corresponding number of cycles at the
extraction station 19 before the corresponding hole has reached
soldering station 4'. Naturally, it is also possible to provide a
lesser number of holes which then entails a longer rotating motion
per cycle.
* * * * *